Improved rock-drilling machine



f www for thedrill-rope.' e. y

Figurel represents `a longitudinal sectional eleva-` tion of my improvedmachine, taken on the line a; a:

of thscharacter.

trim @lim JOHNHROBEETS, or NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. L'mmlamtlvo. cascadas@M@ 11, 1869.

To allwhomc'tnul/ 1;rwntcer"n:'V H' Beit known Vthat I, Joint H.Romera-of Nash- 1. ville, inthe countykof Davidson, Vand StateofTennessee, have invented a new and improvedDrilling- Machine; and I`do'hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and` exactdescription thereof', which `will. enableothers skilled in the art .tomake and use `the 4same,'reference being had to.` the accompanying`drawings,forming part of this specification.

i rIhis invention relates to improvements in machin- `ery for`operating' drills for drilling artesian wells, dei signed to provide animproved arrangement of ldrivingmechanism, calculated to lessen the.unequal -strains upon the engine and other parts, arising from thesudden lifting and discharging 4ofthe drill-rods.

Also, certain improvements ign the trip-motion, cal- "culated to providea more smooth andeasy-working device. y i i i Also, to provide aconvenient and simple device for throwing the trip-mechanism into or outof gear with the driving-cam, or for varyingthe ee'ctof the same uponthe drill. L e

And also, certain improvements in guide-apparatus ofig.2; and v l, e.

Figure 2 represents a transverse sectional elevation ofthe same, takenon the line y y `of iig. 1. e .Similar ,letters of reference. indicate`corresponding vparts.` l i r Owingv to the great shocks and strainscaused upon the driving-mechanism of well-drilling apparatus, it

. is exceedingly difficult to drive them faster than about thirty or.forty strokes per minute, withH the bestlari ranged driving-mechanismnow in use, without excessive `wear and frequent breakage, the commonmethod of counteracting` the said strains being theemploymentof abalance-wheel on the driving, or cam-shaft, i

in which arrangement thesize of the Wheel is necessarilyflin'iited,` andit does not, therefore, attain sufficient momentum to give thebestresults.

To obtain this result in the `said drill-operating mechanism, instead ofarranging the balance-,wheely on the cam-shaft A, I"provide'a\ largegear-wheel, B,

thereon, and drive it with a counter-shaft, c, carryingthe.balance-wheehunder 'such an arrangement that it shall have a speedatthe rim equal to or greater than that` ofthe piston of the engine, bywhich, I find, the i shocksand jars are verygre'atly` 'taken olf theengine, `and other parts, and I am enabled to operate my machineashighas sixty strokes per minute, as I have demonstrated, without additionalWear.

I am aware that it is not new to gear a balancewheel at high speed,but'I am .not aware that this arrangement `has heretofore been appliedto machinery arfllhe tappet,.or cam-wheel D, is castsolid,aud pro-".l'he` Schedulereferreduto in these Letters Patent andlmakingp'art ofthe same.

i v vv ,I .1 I V l' .Y y

4vided with steel-faced tappets, and arranged to acty upon a tripfcatch,E, to which the drill-chain, F, is"

attached, in the usual'manner.

This `trip-catch is supported, according to my improvement,rat G, on .anaxis, and lso arranged that it or ungearing with it, without stoppingthe drivingpower. f

The end near the campasses through a verticalslotted lever, H, having asurface, slightly concave,

catch emerges from it.

The latter, `at this point, is provided with small steelfriction-rollers, I, supported, at each side, on a stud, or "pin, andconstantly borne against the said concave surface of the lever H, by aspring, K, ccnnected to the trip-catch, by a link, L, and provided withany suitable fixed support.`

This spring withdraws the trip-catch from contact with the cam. 1 1

For placing and holding the said trip-catch in gear M, terminating in ahandle, N, and is `provided with a spring-actuated dog, O, for engagingeither-,ofV three `or more notches, P, in the guide M, whereby the saidtrip-catch maybe held in gear with the cam, toweceive a full movementtherefrom, or so as to receive a movement of less extent, or wholly outof gear. The said dog O slides vertically on the lever H, and isconnected to a bell-crank, Q, pivoted tothe said lever, and providedwith a spring, It, arranged to keep the said dog engaged in the notches.

The trip-catch E is also connected toa spring, S, by a connecting-rod,T.

This spring is employed for restraining the tripcatch from rising toosuddenly, under the action of the tappets, thereby preservintg a smoothand easy movement of the said trip-cate f It is provided With-atempering-screw, U, whereby depth increases.

drill-rope steady; but as a further means steadying it, I provide therope-case W, upon the post, which supports the pulley over which itworks, and as acenvenient arrangement, I hinge the said case to theysaid post. Without this case, the rope swings and jerks aboutconsiderably, when the drill strikes.l

i By this improved arrangement of devices, I am able to provide a morerapidly-operating machine, with less jarring and rattling than those nowin use.k

The arrangement for producing ,a short throw of the drill, by gearingthe trip-'catchfless deeply with the cam, is especially advantageous intimes when the drill becomes fast, as it frequently does. For loosisfree to slide to or from the cam-shaft, for gearing fronting the cam,and at the point where the tripl with the cam, the lever H rises througha slotted guide,

the weight ofthe drill, after being disengaged from' e its tension maybe varied, as the weight4 of the drill,v rod varies, by the additionalsections applied as thev The spring' S, to a considerable extent,keepsVtheen'ing it, the movements maybe s0 shortened as to( amount only toblows or jars on the drill, which may be continued until loosened,whereas a full throw, in many cases, would instantly break the rodsiHaving `thus described my invention, y I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patf ent- 1. The eombinationmith the trip-catch E,arranged to operate the drill of the oanbdri ving shaft, gear-wh eel B,and balance-wheel, geared thereto, when all arranged as specified.

2. The trip-catch E, manged to slide on its axis,

y and provided with lthe Motion-rollers 1', spring K, and

oombined with the lever H, substantially as speci- 3. Theeombinationmith the lever H, ofthe springj(iog O, and notched guide M,substantially as speci- 4. The combination, with the tripoetoh,of theadjusting-swing S, substantially as specified.

5. The arrengementof the rope-case W on the drillrope post,substantially as speeiiied. Witnesses: f JOHN H. ROBERTS.

HUGH CARROLL, ED. FIELD.

